Last week I extolled the virtues of simple stockinette. A week further into what appears to be endless stockinette (in fingering weight, I might add) finds me slightly less enthusiastic. I’ve been continuing on my sister’s trillian shawl, still loving the pattern and the awesome tardis inspired wool but I needed to mix things up a bit. I’d gotten to that awkward stage where I swear it’s no longer getting any longer. Add to that the taunting appeal of ysolda’s clues for the follow your arrow kal popping into my inbox and I caved to the cast on.

To be clear, there is good reason I enthuse over the simplicity of stockinette knitting. Most of my knitting happens after 10pm when my brain is starting to conk out. Two evenings of the first clue in the mystery shawl show sadly little progress thanks to my not so stellar pattern reading late at night. Despite knitting the wrong clue then the right clue with silly mistakes I will persevere.

Today I’ve pulled out the awesome cookbooks, Against All Grain, to thumb through. I’ve been following Danielle Walker’s blog and instagram for a while and love the recipes she shares. Although we’re not paleo or grain free, I’ll admit I do feel better when I limit grains and focus more on proteins. I’ve been particularly leaning away from grains at breakfast, easier now that we don’t do wheat (wahhhhh, I miss my bread). This book is a goldmine in that pursuit.

And now it’s late and of course time to make some mistakes, er, progress on my shawl.

I haven’t joined Ginny’s yarn along in a long time and here I am coming late to the game. I’ve been starting posts for months but finally am sitting down with serious purpose.

While blogging has been a distant dream these last months, knitting has taken centre stage as my late evening activity. I’ve worked on some sweaters, the annual hat stack for the little jays, and few pairs of fingerless gloves. Of course, despite best intentions, I did not manage to get through the long list of gift knits I’d planned.

Fortunately we’re celebrating Christmas late this year with my parents and siblings who have flown in from the east coast. We snuck out of the big city and traded it once again for our favourite mountain destination. Amidst the many fun activities to keep us busy here there has most certainly been knitting.

I normally do my best to hide gift knitting while it’s on needles but I’m racing with a deadline to finish my sister’s gift. Fat chance I’ll get it done in time but none the less I’m trying!

A couple months ago my sister spotted some yarn on instagram and fell in love with the colour (and perhaps the Doctor Who themed name…). I ordered the yarn and set to pattern searching. My sister has a soft spot for Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy so after a little humming and hawing we decided on the Trillian shawl. I’ve had this pattern on my radar for a while and now that I’ve started it I’ve already got plans for the next one. It’s beautifully simple (just my speed these days) and simply beautiful as the pattern reveals itself. I’ve decided I need to always have a largely stockinette project to grab when we’re on the go and this fits the bill.

I’m going to enjoy this knit even as I hope to move quickly on it – I also have a colour affection shawl waiting on needles and the first clue in the follow your arrow mystery knit-a-long calling to me. January (and February and March…) are for shawls!

I haven’t done much reading lately but when I do I love picking my way through Shauna Niequest‘s Bread & Wine. It was a gift from a thoughtful friend who knew I’d love it. I adore food memoirs and, between the stories of faith and friendship and the comforting recipes, I’m feeling inspired in more ways than one. As our family has grown (and our dinner table had not) we’d gotten away from sharing meals with friends – one of our most cherished events. We’ve recently invested in a larger table – no matter it doesn’t fit our kitchen. We stopped waiting for the perfect farm table in a renovated kitchen and found an in-the-meantime table which which seats us all with room for more. It’s time to get back to making memories around our table. Bread & Wine feels like the perfect accompaniment to this remembrance.

And now it’s time for my needles to click again. Littles are enjoying special time with Grandma and Grandpa, dinner’s in the oven, and there’s a mountain view to feast on in the meantime.

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Have you been crafting on these January days? What have you been reading?

Well, well, it seems like I’ve fallen into the glorious distraction of springtime. But I do miss the interaction of this space – how better than to pop back in for a yarn along post.

The garden has been calling for lots of attention and hard work these past couple of weeks but my needles have not been forgotten.

…Okay, perhaps, some of my projects have been a little neglected (*cough* grace cardi) but I’ve had fun with some teeny knits.

I have a handful of knits blocking in my bathroom right now – some new, some recently de-muddied, a few destined for the post office. I’m way behind in updating my ravelry projects but once my recent finished objects are dry and buttons are sewn on, I’ll share some photos.

At the moment, though, I’m knitting a newborn sized baby vertebrae. This one is especially special because it’s for the new addition we are expecting!! Number seven is on the way – rather sooner than later as it happens (more on that later) so it’s knit time! I’m knitting it in another stashed wool – Debbie Bliss’ cashmerino aran. The wool is gorgeous and unreal soft. It pairs so nicely with this awesome pattern by Kelly Brooker. I love many of Kelly’s patterns (shout out to the puerperium cardigan) – they are well written and clear with so many options for sizing and yarn weight. I adore a pattern that allows me to match with a yarn from my stash.

When I find a chance to grab a book I’m finally reading My Antonia. I started it a few months ago but the library called it back too soon. It must have been on a course reading list because suddenly it had over 50 holds so I had a wait before it came back to my hands again. It’s early days but I’m enjoying it. I’m finding my imagination is picturing the landscape as that of On the Banks of Plum Creek, I like the familiarity.

You know I’ve been very good, right?! All these weeks with only my grace cardi eating up my limited knitting time.

And then it snowed. Again. Which demanded a break from brown stockinette.

I chose the perfect wool from my stash for the distraction – Malabrigo Rios in Archangel. It’s a delight to watch the array of colours coming out of this skein – coral, yellow, orange, purple. I knit a plain vest a month or so ago using the first skein of this duo and the recipient’s baby sister needs a matching vest. I’m using the pattern Little Pearl Vest by designer (and fellow yarn alonger) Gretchen. It is just what I wanting for this vibrant wool and will pair so nicely with the cardi for big sis.

I haven’t neglected my spring’s grace, though, I have only a few inches until the bottom ribbing (now that I’ve realized my long torso is going to require some added length) so I’m working a few rows at least every day (which lately has been about all the knitting I’ve managed). I will get there…and hopefully keep my calm when it comes to the sleeves.

As for reading, I’m still enjoying two of the same books as last week: A Handful of Time with my oldest two at bedtime, and Raising Cain for my own reading. The girls have become quite captivated by the story and it had the unexpected bonus of making my oldest very thankful she doesn’t have a mom like the one in the book. Raising Cain continues to be interesting – it’s good insight into the working of a boy’s mind. Although many of the issues revolve more around adolescent challenges, as most emotional troubles do, they have their roots in younger childhood. I’m curious what practical tools they may offer towards the end of the book.

For my photo I grabbed the latest Where’s Waldo that Liam has been choosing at bedtime. While I prefer gearing down for bed with a story, I do enjoy our special time with heads bent together over this book (despite the head bumping and squinting).

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And now the chore list calls and sunshine beckons for laundry! Happy May Day!

Well, I did it. I’ve stuck to my grace all week without any derailing for just one little instant gratification knit. I never manage that! I haven’t had much time for knitting in truth, but row by row this long body of stockinette is growing. There is still a number of inches to go but I’m really hoping to keep this momentum going when I get to the sleeves.

In the meantime I’m wearing blinders whenever I come near any of my stashed yarn in various corners of the house.

I’m still working on my books from last week and continuing to enjoy them. In addition I’ve talked the older two girls into a new read-aloud. While I was promptly presented with The Fellowship of the Rings, I decided we might all need a breather after The Hobbit took us months to get through. Instead Elizabeth presented me with A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson. I’d picked up a nearly pristine copy (along with the Guests of War trilogy) a few weeks ago while thrifting and hoped one of the older two would pull it off the shelf. Although not full of the type of adventures they usually seek out in a novel, it is a favourite from my youth so I’m quite happy to be rereading with them now.

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What exciting projects do you have on the go?? Surely a little wooly eye candy won’t distract me too much…